The Spanish Tolkien Society (Sociedad Tolkien Españiola) has issued a call for papers for the 2014 Ælfwine Award, to be presented for excellence in an essay or paper about J.R.R. Tolkien or his writing. All essays should be original and less than 10000 words and may be in Spanish or English. The deadline for submission is October 1, 2014 with the winners announced on November 1. First prize includes €150 and a certificate.

Peter Jackson has announced that his film adaptation of The Hobbit will be a trilogy. Jackson had hinted at the possibility earlier in July at the International Comic Con, but only officially announced his decision on his Facebook page today. Although it is unclear how he will stretch the film to three features, he has been very clear about incorporating ideas from Tolkien’s appendices into the story of The Hobbit. The three films will be released in 2012, 2013, and 2014.